The Wire (2002-8)

David Simon landmark series holds up in the waning years of the Golden era of television. The technology may be outdated by now, but the drama is timeless. Simon pioneered bingeable television (along with the Sopranos, I suppose), plotting a mystery to unfold over the course of a whole season. And today in the streaming era, every TV show worth its salt has an overarching plot. Some may criticize him for being slow, but it's a methodical slow burn that allows for deep characterization of even secondary characters. We come to know not just the cops, not just the head honcho drug dealers but even the street level kids (a very young Michael B Jordan). His sense of realism comes through in his unknown actors, character actors, non-actors, and many real Baltimoreans. The show is about characters who are trapped by the institutions (a set of rules) that plague the city.

The Wire is Simon's love letter to Baltimore. It may not always seem that way given all the crime and corruption he highlights but indeed it is. No city has ever gotten such a thorough treatment on TV, exposing its underbelly. He doesn't do it out of malice or hatred but he genuinely believes that it can do better. Despite the specificity, it could have been about any city because in general terms it is about the decline of the American city. Other cities also have drug problems, docks, corrupt city government, schools, and print media. He would give post-Katrina New Orleans a similar treatment in Treme, but Simon has a personal connection to Baltimore. He (and writer Ed Burns) have first hand experience about the things they write (the Baltimore Police and the Baltimore Sun).

Seasons 3 and 4 are the strongest. Simon's analysis on the flaws in our education system is brilliant. I thought season 2 at the docks was kind of weak while watching it but in retrospect it was also very good. There are so many characters and by the end I felt like we got satisfactory closure on each one. It was kind of weird that McNulty doesn't feature much in season 4, but honestly, it's all the better without him. His twisted story line in season 5 is probably the weakest, most cynical (most ironic).

Creed II (2018)

Boxing may be the most solitary sport other than tennis (or maybe diving?). In boxing, you minimally have your team in your corner (Serena Williams learned at the last US Open that you you do not have your team in your corner, in spectacular fashion). But otherwise it is just you in the ring dueling your opponent. That's why I find it so curious that boxing movies are traditionally not about solitude but family and relationships.  The hyper masculine topics of boxing and cars (a la Fast and Furious) center around family. And that's what makes them interesting. It humanizes their subjects, the brutish and self-destructive journeymen (think Raging Bull).

Creed II cannot avoid the elephant in the room, that is the iconic status of Rocky. Perhaps no other movie in American history is so emblematic of a city. Without having to properly explain why, the audience inherently understands why Rocky cannot leave Philadelphia. Drago's first stop in the US is naturally the iconic steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The shot opens with the statue, arms raised, and a tracking shot of tourists following Rocky's path running up the steps. The self-reference only works because Rocky has indeed achieved iconic status in our culture.

Creed II was not directed by Ryan Coogler, but Steven Caple Jr. steady hand does a fine job with enough style and pizzazz and tracking shots to satisfy the eyes. Boxing is visceral and we feel that. Our first glimpse of Rocky is through a mirror in a doorway (a frame within a frame within a frame), with Creed on the far right side of the screen. And only when Rocky moves out of the mirror does the camera pan to him. Though the movie can feel predictable at times, it is well done, engaging, emotional and ultimately enjoyable. Michael B. Jordan is electric and Sly in his later life has discovered a penchant for hats. They suit him.

Black Panther (2018)

This is a monumental movie. There are so many things this movie did right thanks to a phenomenal who's who cast, Kendrick Lamar on the soundtrack, amazing production and costume and makeup design, and a brilliant Ryan Coogler at the helm (his signature long take, one shot is the ultra kinetic fight scene in Busan).

Hollywood finally did something right. A black superhero is not insignificant. Representation on screen is so important. It's not just a black superhero, it's strong and fierce black women warriors, it's a black scientist, a black sovereign, proud and successful black people. You need to be able to see yourself on screen in positions of respect to learn to respect yourself. And Black Panther has proved again that people of all colors are willing to pay big bucks for diversity. Hollywood has never known what the people wanted. Let this be a lesson.

This is the best Marvel movie, by far--it plays more cool 007 than Marvel. It is certainly helped by the lack of Avengers. Black Panther can hold his own. The content of the movie is much heavier, more morally complex, and more relevant (maybe only matched by X-Men, but certainly not the other Avengers). The central tension in the film is Wakanda's longstanding policy of isolationism. Wakanda is a fictional black Utopia. The way I see it, it's not just a black version of Utopia, rather Utopia is black. Utopia is a land untouched by the white colonizer. Could you blame Wakanda for not wanting any part of the ills the rest of the world has wrought? Well, if Wakanda was to open up, what form would that take? How would Wakanda react to the plight of black people around the world? There is the more militant Malcolm-ish path and the more peaceful Martin-ish path. Though Ta-Nehisi Coates had no part in the movie, I can't help but think his comic had influence on this central theme of the movie. The morally complex Killmonger (played by an excellent Michael B. Jordan), is a somewhat sympathetic villain. He is a fully developed character. His rough childhood influences his motivations to support the oppressed. But his experience in the US military influences his motivations to conquer.

My lone criticism is I think there was an opportunity for the female characters to take center stage. Yes, they are in prominent roles, but there is an opportunity towards the end that the lead females deny themselves. It is ostensibly for other reasons, but there is an underlying gender implication. There was a particularly viable path given Shuri's legitimate blood claim to the throne.

I know there is more I wanted to say. I wish I had went straight to writing after I saw the movie but...life gets in the way. #wakandaforever

Creed (2015)

I've seen the original Rocky, but I haven't seen any of the sequels. So I basically got the gist of it, but I might have missed some of the backstory though it is well implied by the screenplay. I did not miss the reference to the American flag boxing shorts that Rocky bestows on Creed before the big fight. I think overall it is a solid movie, but I guess I just didn't really have the connection to the franchise that those who have been following this character for four decades. It is actually pretty incredible that it has lasted for so long and so many movies. It is not just Star Wars that made it all the way to seven. And what we see in this movie is an aging Rocky, and it is his story line that interested me the most. As a boxer past his prime, he must decide what impact he will have on the next generation. And I think this movie is quite good enough to create a new generation of Rocky fans who will now go back to see the movie that started it all.

Similar to Star Wars Episode VII, this movie borrows a lot from its original source material. It sticks to a tried and true formula. Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed packs Rocky-type heart that makes the character likable. Sylvester Stallone lets Jordan shine as the protagonist, playing second fiddle in his own movie. It is the second half of the movie that Stallone gives Rocky some substantive material (which I think brilliantly advances the character in a very natural way) and then he still finds a way to make this movie about the titular Creed. It could have become the Rocky show at that point, but he exercised a poignant restraint. And finally, the last scene on the legendary steps is the perfect way to bring the franchise full circle.